Tool holder

ABSTRACT

A tool holder for removably holding a tool. The tool holder includes a receiving member and a coupling member. The receiving member includes a base, a pair of arms coupled to the base, a neck slot located between the pair of arms, and a head slot located between the base and the pair of arms. The coupling member includes: a head configured to slidably move within the head slot; a neck coupled to the head and configured to slidably move within the neck slot; and an attachment member coupled to the neck and configured to couple the coupling member to the tool. There is a latching member that is a protrusion configured to latch the coupling member to the receiving member. The attachment member is a loop that is a double-sided hook and loop ribbon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to tool holders, specifically to tool holders for removably holding a tool.

2. Description of the Related Art

Tool holders are well known in the prior art. Many such devices are in the form of tool belts of various configurations which are designed to carry and retain one or more desired tools while allowing the user to keep his hands free. Conventional tool belts are provided with leather or cloth loops which depend from the belt and which serve as tool retainers. Although useful to some extent, such tool belts present inherent deficiencies which limit their usefulness. For example because cloth is not necessarily a rigid structure, cloth loops may close when not in use, making it difficult for the user to replace the tool into the loop with one hand. More over, a loop may tightly constrict about the tool handle as the tool settles into position, thereby making it difficult to remove the tool when needed. Similar problems arise with the use of the more rigid leather loops.

Another type of device for carrying tools is a belt clip which is modified with a tool carrying end. Examples of such belt clips include U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,451 to Kahn, issued Apr. 28, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,449 to Kahn, issued May 16, 2000 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,342 to Kahn, issued Sep. 3, 2002. These belt clips, all invented by the inventor of the instant application, are provided with a U-shaped hook which swivels about a tool's center of gravity. While these tool-toting devices have achieved commercial success, a disadvantage to these devices is that they cannot be removably secured to all types of tools. In addition, these tool-toting devices are not adapted easily for suspension from a wall, ladder or other object.

Article holders, particularly paint can holders, have been developed for attachment to the leg of a ladder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,900 to Anderson et al., issued May 5, 1964, U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,181 Ellerbrock, issued Mar. 8, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,867 to Ewing, issued Apr. 19, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,016 to Brothers, issued May 24, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,463 to Hopkins et al., issued Jul. 19, 1977 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,459 to Biggs, issued Jan. 15, 2002, each discloses a clamping member adapted to secure an article, usually a paint can, to the stile of a ladder. However, such holders have large horizontal profiles.

Additional problems with existing tool holders include: inability to properly secure a tool to a person, expensive design, too many parts, and inability to use with a single hand.

What is needed is a tool holder that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available tool totes. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a tool holder for removably holding a tool.

In one embodiment, there is a tool holder for removably holding a tool. The tool holder may include a receiving member configured to provide support and a coupling member, configured to removably couple the receiving member to the tool. The receiving member may include a base, a pair of arms that may be coupled to the base, a neck slot that may be located between the pair of arms, and/or a head slot that may be located between the base and the pair of arms. The coupling member may include a head that may be configured to slidably move within the head slot; a neck that may be coupled to the head and/or configured to slidably move within the neck slot; and/or an attachment member that may be coupled to the neck and/or configured to couple the coupling member to the tool.

The attachment member may include an elongated member. The elongated member may include a double-sided hook and loop that may be a strip and/or a ribbon. The head and neck may be T-shaped. The coupling member may further include a gripping surface that may include a thumb indentation. The head may include a disk. The neck slot may include a vertical dimension shorter than the vertical dimension of the head slot and/or a difference between the vertical dimensions of the first and head slots may be about the radius of the disk. The first dimension may be larger than a depth of the head slot. Also, the neck slot may include a vertical dimension longer than the vertical dimension of the head slot.

In another embodiment, there may be a tool holder for holding a tool. The tool holder may include a receiving member and/or a coupling member. The receiving member may include a lip, a side member defining a void, and/or a channel that may be through the lip and/or side member and that may define a channel width. The coupling member may include an attachment member, a body that may be coupled to the attachment member, a neck that may be coupled to the body and that may define a neck width smaller than about the channel width, and a head that may be coupled to the neck, disposable within the void, and/or having a head width larger than about the channel width.

The tool holder may include a gripping surface. The gripping surface may include a thumb indentation. The head may include a cylindrical rod. The receiving member may further include a clip that may be coupled to the base. There may further be included a latching member that may be coupled to at least one of the components in the group consisting of receiving member and coupling member and/or that may be removably coupled to at least one of the components in the group consisting of receiving member and coupling member. There may also be a ladder coupling member coupled to the receiving member and/or configured to couple the receiving member to a ladder. The ladder coupling member may include the receiving member being integral to a ladder.

In yet another embodiment, there is a tool holder for holding a tool. The w tool holder may include a vessel and/or a coupling member. The vessel may include a lip, a vessel side member that may be contiguous to the lip and/or defining a void, and a channel through the lip and vessel side member. The channel may define a channel width. The coupling member may be removably coupleable to the vessel and/or may include an elongated member that may be removably coupleable to the tool, a body that may be coupled to the elongated member and/or defining a gripping surface, a neck that may be coupled to the body and/or defining a neck width smaller than about the channel width, and a head. The head may be coupled to the neck, sufficiently small to fit within the void, and/or may include a head width larger than about the channel width.

The elongated member of the tool holder may include an elastic loop. There may be a protrusion that may extend internal the channel and/or that may be at a height from the bottom of the channel greater than or equal to the neck width. There may be a protrusion extending from the vessel and/or external to the vessel. A protrusion may be disposed adjacent the channel and/or a neck length may be about the thickness of the vessel side member.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of a tool holder according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side perspective view of a coupling member according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side exploded view of a coupling member according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side perspective view of a coupling member secured to the handle of a nail gun according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side perspective view of a receiving member according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a side perspective view of a coupling member according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a side perspective view of a receiving member according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, different embodiments, or component parts of the same or different illustrated invention. Additionally, reference to the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are related, dissimilar, the same, etc. The use of the term “an embodiment,” or similar wording, is merely a convenient phrase to indicate optional features, which may or may not be part of the invention as claimed.

Each statement of an embodiment is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The independent embodiments are considered to be able to be combined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.

Finally, the fact that the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, does not appear at the beginning of every sentence in the specification, such as is the practice of some practitioners, is merely a convenience for the reader's clarity. However, it is the intention of this application to incorporate by reference the phrasing “an embodiment,” and the like, at the beginning of every sentence herein where logically possible and appropriate.

FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a tool holder according to one embodiment of the invention. In particular, there is shown a coupling member and a receiving member. The coupling member is configured to couple to a tool and to couple to the receiving member. The mounting member is configured to receive the coupling member and may be configured to couple to another device such as but not limited to a belt, clothing, a wall, a ladder, and a support.

There is shown a tool holder 100 for removably holding a tool. Non-limiting exemplary tools include hand tools and power tools. Included in the figure is a receiving member 110 and a coupling member 120. The receiving member 110 is configured to provide support for attached objects. The coupling member 120 is configure to attach to the receiving member 110 and a tool 410. Shown included in the receiving member 110 is a base 112, a pair of arms 114 and 115 coupled to the base 112, a neck slot 116 between the pair of arms 114 and 115 boundaries of which are at least partially defined by the pair of arms 114 and 115, and a head slot 118, between the base 112 and the pair of arms 114 and 115, defined by the base and the pair of arms 114 and 115. The pair of arms 114 and 115 illustrated are coupled along their vertical length to the base 112. It is envisioned that one embodiment may include wherein the pair of arms 114 and/or 115 are coupled only at an end. The illustrated neck slot 116 includes a first vertical dimension 132 greater than the second vertical dimension 134 of the head slot 118. There is also shown a lip 136, a side member 138 comprising the pair of arms 114 and 115, and a channel 116 through the lip 136 and the side member 138. The channel 116 defines a channel width 140. The side member 138 defines a void 118.

The shown coupling member 120 is removably coupleable to each of the receiving member 110 and a tool 410. The illustrated coupling member 120 includes a head 122 slidably moveable within the head slot 118. The illustrated head 122 includes a first dimension 210 larger than a width 140 of the neck slot 116 or channel 116. Accordingly, the head 122 may not pass through the neck slot 116 when the first dimension 210 is aligned substantially parallel to the width 140 of the neck slot 116. In the illustrated embodiment, the head 122 comprises a cylindrical rod.

Further, the illustrated first dimension 210 of the head 122 is larger than a depth of the illustrated head slot 118. Accordingly, when disposed within the head slot 1118, the illustrated head 122 has at least one restricted degree of freedom. There is also included a neck 124 coupled to the head 122 and slidably moveable within the neck slot 116. The illustrated head 122 and neck 124 together are T-shaped.

Additionally, there is shown a body, stand-off, or gripping member 126 coupled to the neck 124. The shown body 126 includes a gripping surface 127. The body 126 may serve to provide a handle and/or may include an indentation or thumb indentation 129 such as for interfacing with a thumb of a user. The shown gripping member 126 houses the coupling between an attachment member 128 and the gripping member 126.

Further shown is an attachment member 128 coupled to the neck 124 and coupleable to the tool 410. In the illustrated example, the attachment member 128 comprises an elongated member 128, such as but not limited to an elastic loop and/or a hook and loop strip. In another example, the elongated member 128 comprises double-sided hook and loop that may wrap around to attach to itself as shown in FIG. 6.

There is also shown a clip 136 coupled to the base 112. In one non-limiting example, the clip 136 may be used to attach the receiving member 110 to a belt of a user. While a particular configuration for a clip is displayed, it is envisioned that other similar members may be included in a tool holder 100. In one non-limiting example, there may be a ladder coupling member coupled to the receiving member and configured to couple the receiving member to a ladder. Examples of ladder coupling members include but are not limited to C-clamps and integral members of ladders. Further examples and embodiments are included in U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,794 to Kahn the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The illustrated receiving member 10 also includes a latching member 500 that is a pair of ridges or protrusions 500 protruding from the pair of arms 114 and 115. The protrusions 500 are configured to resist detachment of the coupling member 120 from the receiving member 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusions 500 are shaped to fit within cavities 200 on the shoulder 210 of the body 126 of the coupling member 120. Accordingly, when the coupling member 120 is attached to the receiving member 110 and is disposed underneath the receiving member 110 the protrusions 500 are disposed within the cavities 200 and may resist relative movement between the receiving member 110 and the coupling member 120. In one non-limiting example, it may be required to apply a threshold force to engage and/or release the latching member(s) 500. It is envisioned that a latching member 500 may be coupled to at least one of the components in the group consisting of receiving member 110 and coupling member 120. It is further envisioned that a latching member 500 may be removably coupled to at least one of the components in the group consisting of receiving member 110 and coupling member 120. A latching member 500 may include one or more components that may interact and/or that may be coupled to one or more portions of the tool holder 100. Non-limiting examples include protrusions, hooks, frictional surfaces, notches, bumps, narrow regions, wide regions, and regions of varied material composition. There may be a protrusion extending internal the channel 116 at a height from the bottom of the channel 116 greater than or equal to the neck width 140. The base 112 and the pair of arms 114 and 115 and/or side member 138 form a vessel 520. There may be a protrusion extending from the vessel 520 and external to the vessel 520, wherein the protrusion 500 comprises being disposed adjacent the channel 116 and a neck length 220 comprises being about the thickness 520 of the vessel side member 138.

In operation, a user may couple the coupling member 120 to a tool 410. The user may also couple the coupling member 120 to the receiving member 110. The receiving member 110 may be coupled to the user and or an implement such as but not limited to a ladder. The receiving member 110 may be integral to such an implement. The user may place the head 122 of the coupling member 120 into the head slot or void 118 and may align the neck to be slidably movable within the neck slot or channel 116.

The head 122 may then be lowered towards the bottom 530 of the head slot or void 118. As the head 122 is lowered the body 126 of the coupling member 120 may also be lowered. Preferably, the weight of the tool combined with the configuration of the tool holder 100 binds the coupling member 120 to the receiving member 110. Further, the latching member or system 500 may be engaged and/or may engage, thereby resisting decoupling of the coupling member 120 from the receiving member 110. Preferably, the latching system 500 engages by forcing latching system components to deform slightly, thereby producing an audible noise, such as but not limited to a click or snap, when the latching system engages and/or disengages.

Looking specifically to FIG. 3, there is shown an exploded view of a coupling member 120. The illustrated coupling member 120 includes a body cavity 300 that may be covered by a cap 310. The body cavity 300 is intended to include within ends 330 of the illustrated attachment member 128. The shown ends 330 are coupled one to another by a binding 320 that may be a wire wrap. The body cavity 300 includes an enlarged portion 302, such that when the attachment member is disposed within the body cavity 300, the binding 320, being larger than the ends 330 may be disposed within the enlarged portion 302 and the cap 310 may enclose the binding 320 within the enlarged portion 302. Accordingly, when enclosed, the binding 320 is too large to exit the body cavity 300.

Turning to FIGS. 6 and 7, there are illustrated a coupling member 120 and a receiving member 110, respectively, according to one embodiment of the invention. The head 122 illustrated includes a disk 610 coupled to the body 126 by a neck 124. In contrast to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5, the illustrated neck 124 of FIG. 6 extends orthogonally from the body 126. Further, in contrast to the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5, the illustrated neck slot 116 of FIG. 7 includes a neck slot vertical dimension 710 shorter than the head slot vertical dimension 720 of the head slot 118. A difference between the vertical dimensions 710 and 720 of the neck and head slots, respectively, comprises being about the radius 630 of the disk 610, preferably less the radius 640 of the neck 124. The bottom 730 of the head slot 118 may be shaped to match the shape of the disk 610.

As previously noted, the attachment member 128 of FIG. 6 illustrates a double-sided hook and loop attachment member. In particular, there is shown a strip 650 having a first side 652 having hook or loop material and a second side 654 having material such as hook or loop material that attaches to the material of the first side 652. There is also shown a plurality of apertures 660, defined by first and second bar members 662 and 664, through which the strip 650 passes, thereby forming a loop. A first end 670 of the strip 650 shown is coupled about the first bar member 662 adjacently to a first aperture 660. A second end 680 of the strip 650 passes through the aperture 660 defined by the second bar member 664. It is preferred that the second bar member 664 includes a larger radius than the first bar member 662. Advantageously, the second bar member 664 helps prevent undesired contact, tangling, adhesion, etc. between the first and second sides 652 and 654 as the strip 650 is adjusted for size.

It is understood that the above-described preferred embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

For example, although two head shapes are illustrated, namely a cylinder and a disk, it is envisioned that possible head shapes are plethoric. Non-limiting examples of head shapes include spheres, cubes, other polyhedrons, amorphous shapes, irregular shapes, symmetrical shapes, asymmetrical shapes, combinations thereof and portions thereof.

Additionally, although the figures illustrate arms oriented upward and channels substantially parallel with a long axis of the tool holder, it is envisioned that, in some embodiments, portions of a tool holder may be tilted, angled, and/or otherwise not substantially parallel and/or orthogonal to a particular axis of an embodiment.

Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may be constructed of a variety of materials, including but not limited to metal, plastic, fiber, wood, ceramic, resin, composite, and combinations thereof.

Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims. 

1. A tool holder for removably holding a tool, comprising: a receiving member configured to provide support, including: a base; a pair of arms coupled to the base; a neck slot located between the pair of arms; and a head slot located between the base and the pair of arms; and a coupling member, configured to removably couple the receiving member to the tool, including: a head, configured to slidably move within the head slot; a neck coupled to the head and configured to slidably move within the neck slot; and an attachment member coupled to the neck and configured to couple the coupling member to the tool.
 2. The tool holder of claim 1, wherein the attachment member comprises an elongated member.
 3. The tool holder of claim 2, wherein the elongated member comprises a double-sided hook and loop portion.
 4. The tool holder of claim 1, wherein the neck attaches to the head to form a T-shape.
 5. The tool holder of claim 1, wherein the coupling member further comprises a gripping surface including a thumb indentation.
 6. The tool holder of claim 1, wherein the head is disk-shaped.
 7. The tool holder of claim 6, wherein the neck slot includes a vertical dimension shorter than a vertical dimension of the head slot and a difference between the vertical dimensions of the neck and head slots is about a radius of the disk-shaped head.
 8. The tool holder of claim 1, wherein the neck slot comprises being deeper than a depth of the head slot.
 9. The tool holder of claim 1, wherein the neck slot includes a vertical dimension longer than a vertical dimension of the head slot.
 10. A tool holder for holding a tool, consisting essentially of: a receiving member, including: a lip; a side member defining a void; and a channel, through the lip and side member, defining a channel width; and a coupling member receivable by the receiving member, including: an attachment member; a body, coupled to the attachment member; a neck, coupled to the body, defining a neck width smaller than about the channel width; and a head, coupled to the neck, disposable within the void, and having a head width larger than about the channel width.
 11. The tool holder of claim 10, wherein the body includes a gripping surface configured to enhance a user's grip on the body.
 12. The tool holder of claim 10, wherein the head comprises a cylindrical rod.
 13. The tool holder of claim 10, wherein the receiving member further comprises a clip coupled to the side member.
 14. The tool holder of claim 10, wherein the side member further comprises a latching member coupled to at least one of the components in the group consisting of receiving member and coupling member and removably coupled to at least one of the components in the group consisting of receiving member and coupling member.
 15. The tool holder of claim 10, wherein the side member further comprises a ladder coupling member coupleable to a ladder.
 16. The tool holder of claim 15, wherein the side member comprises a ladder.
 17. A tool holder for holding a tool, comprising: a vessel, including: a lip; a vessel side member, contiguous to the lip, defining a void; and a channel through the lip and vessel side member, the channel defining a channel width; and a coupling member removably coupleable to the vessel, including: an elongated member removably coupleable to the tool; a body, coupled to the elongated member, defining a gripping surface; a neck, coupled to the body, defining a neck width smaller than about the channel width; and a head: coupled to the neck, sufficiently small to fit within the void, and including a head width larger than about the channel width.
 18. The tool holder of claim 17, wherein the elongated member comprises an elastic loop.
 19. The tool holder of claim 17, further comprising a protrusion extending internal the channel at a height from the bottom of the channel greater than or equal to the neck width.
 20. The tool holder of claim 17, further comprising a protrusion extending from the vessel and external to the vessel, wherein the protrusion comprises being disposed adjacent the channel and a neck length comprises being about the thickness of the vessel side member. 